The Ballad of the Goddess
by Swimbike
Summary: A mysterious ocarina song leads Link to an adventure of a kind he's never seen before!
1. Prologue

  
The Ballad of the Goddess   
Prologue   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the storyline of Ocarina of Time, I don't own any of the characters from the game. I do, however, own the plot of this story, and the way it is put together, and some things that are coming later.

* * *

"Oof! Ungh... erg!"  
A warrior clad in green was trying to push a large stone boulder into an indentation in the dirt. His long, pointed hat dangled over a decorated metal shield and a sheathed sword that were strapped onto his back. Sweat rolled off his face as he pushed, falling to the ground, to be instantly absorbed by the soft moss. A small white fairy hovered around his head, looking around for any danger.  
  
Link, the chosen hero, was on a mission to save Hyrule.  
  
Suddenly, the fairy spotted something. It cried out in alarm as it sensed the danger nearing, warning Link of an enemy. "What is it, Navi?" Link asked, looking up from his task.  
Navi flew over to a large plant that had sprung out of the ground. It was topped with a large, dark blue flower that had, curiously, a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. The plant tried to reach Link, but the long, thin stem was still too short. It strained to get closer, jaws snapping furiously. "Watch out, Link!" Navi cautioned. "It's a Deku Baba! Its stem is weak!"   
"Right." Link reached behind his back, grabbing his shield and unsheathing his sword in one fluid motion. The sword gleamed in the bright midday sun that was streaming in from over the walls of the Forest Temple. Its sapphire blue hilt matched the colour of Link's eyes, which were now filled with grim determination. The blade was vibrating slightly in anticipation of the battle, however small or large it was. The golden jewel set into the hilt lit up, and the blade began to glow, emitting a faint, pale blue light.   
Link settled into his battle stance, focusing all his concentration on the Deku Baba in front of him. The Baba lunged, but Link nimbly jumped to the side, avoiding the sharp teeth. Seeing the exposed stem, Link jumped forward, sword held high, bringing the blade crashing down onto the vulnerable stem. The stem was sliced in two, and the Deku Baba writhed on the ground, fading away as it died. A Deku Seed from the head was left on the ground, as if evidence of the battle. Link picked it up and put it into a bag hanging from his belt.   
"Good job, Link!" Navi said, congratulating the Hylian. "But you need to continue to work on moving that block!"   
Link sighed, and rubbed his arm. He had been forced to use his sword a lot, lately. Though they were short skirmishes, they still took a lot out of him. He had only recently awoken as an adult after seven years of being held dormant by his sword, the legendary Master Sword, in the Chamber of Sages. His new, bigger body was still unfamiliar to him, and he still moved in a jerky, uncoordinated way at times. "True, though," Link thought, "that I am stronger." When he had awoken, he had felt power surge through his limbs that he never dreamed that he would have. But the Master Sword was much bigger and heavier than his old Kokiri Sword. Swinging it around in battle took a lot out of him. He was not in any condition to be pushing around a giant stone block.   
"Still," Link thought, "There's nothing for it, I suppose. I have to do it regardless." He started walking back to the block, when he heard a familiar scratching noise. A gold skulltula was nearby. Link shivered as he thought back to how he had stumbled into that old house as protection from the rain.  
  
(this is a line break/placeholder/thing that divides the story up into flashback and not flashback). FF.N isn't letting me do even one asterisk as a line break.)  
  
"Hello? Hellooooo? Helloooooooo?!? Is anybody in here?" Link looked around at the inside of the house. It was dark inside; he couldn't see anything. The rain pounding on the tin roof sounded like thousands of arrows constantly hitting the roof. Link gulped. A shiver ran down his spine as he peered into the gloom.  
"Navi? Could you be a light for me?" Link asked. Light would be comforting.  
"Okay..." Navi answered in a shaky voice. "Link. I'm scared."  
Link wanted to say that it was okay, that everything would be all right. But he had trouble convincing himself, let alone somebody else. He took a deep breath and walked deeper into the house. It looked as if nobody had been there for years. The only furnishings were a handful of big, old wooden crates stacked in various places. Cobwebs hung everywhere. Something glinted from the middle of the room. Curious, Link walked toward it.  
"Link..." Navi cautioned, "Be careful. You don't know what that is..."  
"Don't worry, Navi, I've got..."  
But exactly what Link had, Navi never knew. A giant spider dropped from the ceiling, directly in front of Link! He was standing motionless, looking at it with a mixture of curiosity and fear. It appeared to be a big skulltula, but it was all wrong. It had human eyes, rather then the usual piercing red eyes of a skulltula. Some of its legs were human appendages.  
"Please help me..." the monstrosity croaked, "I've been cursed, along with the rest of my family."  
"Cursed?" Navi asked curiously, "Cursed by whom?"  
The Skulltula-man looked fearful. "The King of the Gerudos. Ganondorf." It replied. "We will stay Skulltulas until someone seeks out the Gold Skulltulas and brings back their gold backs. This is what he said."  
"I'll try to help you!" Link replied. "So I have to find these Gold Skulltulas and bring back their gold? Sounds easy enough."  
"There are many, and they are well hidden," warned the Skulltula-man. "But if that is your wish, then let it be done with the blessing of the goddesses."  
Link vaguely recognized the blessing as something the Deku Tree had said to him once. "I'll try," He promised. "And I'll break the curse as well! I'll find every last Gold Skulltula!"   
  
(This is another one of those line breaks.)  
  
"Navi! Can you see where the Gold Skulltula is hidden?" Link asked. "Go find it!"  
Navi flew around the room, examining the walls. She circled the room, looking critically at any possible hiding place. "I see it!" she cried. "It's on a ledge high up here. I don't know how you'll be able to reach it."  
"Could I use my hookshot?"  
"No. There's nothing there that you could hook onto." The fairy said sadly. "Is there any way you could call something up there to use as a target?"  
"No." replied Link. He hung his head. He had wanted so badly to kill the Gold Skulltula and help the family. He sat down on the grass and put his face in his hands. "I've failed them, Navi." Link looked dejectedly up at the fairy.  
"No... you just need to think a bit more. Come, have a rest. We'll see what you can do after you've cleared your mind a bit."

* * *

Author's Note: Wheee! New story! I got the idea in a really random place, but had to figure out all sorts of stuff to make it work. It's going to be one of those really overused plots, except I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. You'll see what I mean by 'really overused plot' in the next chapter. Big thanks to Nimmireth for her support, even though I haven't let her actually read it yet or know the plot XD. She keeps me going! So let's have some more people review, kay? Add to the list of people that keep me going!  
  
It must be really hard to type when you're on fire. Vaniwen 


	2. Ocarina Songs

The Ballad of the Goddess  
  
Chapter One: Ocarina Song?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo, Wavebird controllers (Though I do have one), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link, and uhm... and anything else that isn't mine. I do, however, own Laurel and Umi! They're mine! My own! My precioussssssssssssss  
  
Ocarina Song Bibliography:   
Zelda: Majora's Mask for the Ocarina  
This insanely cool and helpful reference site for the Ocarina notes: http:member.nifty.ne.jp/mio/64z/ocpree.html  
My Orchestra teacher for giving me the sheet music for my violin a few months ago, which I converted by hand and ear. Pity me.

* * *

"Gosh darn it! I can't believe that I forgot! That's my favorite part of the whole game and I forgot! Me!" Laurel was feeling extremely stupid at her error. "It just makes me want to... want to... throw my Wavebird across the room!"  
"Calm down, Laurel. What's wrong?" Umi got up from where she was sitting on the couch and walked over to Laurel. "Why are you so worked up? You always say that Ocarina of Time is the best game ever!"  
Laurel smiled at her sister. It was hard to stay mad when she was around. "What's the absolute best part of playing Ocarina of Time?"  
Umi thought for a moment. "Link?"  
Laurel smiled and ruffled Umi's short, blonde hair. "Not what I had in mind, but I suppose that does work as an answer. You have 3.141592653589793238462643383279 more guesses."  
Umi looked confused at the long string of numbers. "Why did you say all those numbers, Laur? I don't know what they mean."  
"It's called Pi. It's a number that goes on forever and ever. I was just bored and started learning it one day." Laurel explained.  
"Oh," Umi thought about this a bit more, and smiled. She knew why Laurel was so mad. "You forgot the Scarecrow's Song, didn't you. So you can't get to that golden skulltula. Why do you always obsess over making a song for that thing?"  
"What? How dare you say such things! Blasphemy!" Laurel cried in mock outrage. "Making up songs for the scarecrow is my favorite thing to do! You can make up a melody and then play it whenever you want!"  
"Okay, Laurel. Whatever you say."  
"Laurel? Would you please do the dishes? NOW?" It was Laurel's mother.  
"Nooooooooooooooo! Don't take me away from my games! I live on them... they're my lifeblood! See? I put the controller down, and now I'm melting! Melting, I say! Melllllllllllllllllllllllllting! All because I had to put down my game for some dirty pot that can go clean itself for all I care!" Laurel was writhing on the ground, eyes bulging.  
"Are you done?"  
"Yes," Laurel got up off the ground.  
Laurel's mother disappeared into the kitchen. "I still don't see why you have to make such a big fuss over chores. You're seventeen!"  
"Because they take away from the time I could be playing games," Laurel stuck out her tongue and went into the kitchen.  
"Mommy? Why can't I have chores?" Umi latched on to her mother.  
Laurel walked back into the TV room, her long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail to keep it from getting wet. "Hey, that's a good idea. She can do all of mine! She's already seven!"  
Laurel's mother smiled. "No."  
Laurel sighed, and went to do her chore. After she was finished, she wiped her hands on a towel, and grumpily sat back down onto her favorite easy chair near the TV and took control of the game again. "Ick. I hate having to leave a dungeon right in the middle," Laurel made a face. "I still can't believe that I forgot. Must've been really early this morning." Laurel had an affinity for getting up around three hours early so she could play games before school. "Just wasn't thinking about what I was doing. 'S a wonder I got any dungeons done."  
"Laurel? Could you watch Umi for a bit? I'm going to a meeting." Laurel's mother asked.  
"Where's Dad?"  
"At a meeting"  
"You people and your meetings. Sure, Les."  
"Don't call me Leslie," her mother said in a warning tone.  
"This again," Laurel rolled her eyes. "It's your name."  
"I'll be back in two hours. Bye hon!"  
Laurel sighed and turned back to her game. "Lessee. Need to be a kid again." She steered her character out of the temple.  
"Aren't you going to figure out a song?" Umi asked.  
"As soon as I get outside. There's something about being inside a temple that seems like music doesn't go with it." Laurel steered Link around a kessee. "Okay, now I can do it." She pulled out the Ocarina. "Let's see. I'll start with a d, maybe use a little arpeggio... nah." Laurel fiddled with buttons. "Or use a chromatic scale, with some notes missing as the intro. Wait... I'll try this!"  
"Laur? That sounds good! Play that again!"  
Laurel obliged, playing a complex melody. Her fingers worked the controller like an artist molding clay. "Good controller technique should be an art form." Umi thought. She listened to the haunting melody that Laurel was creating.  
"There!" Laurel said. "It's finished. Now just have to write it down..."  
But the screen changed. A chime sounded, the one that sounds when you play an ocarina song that the game recognizes. Laurel looked confused. "Maybe it just ended with an ocarina song..." she sounded unsure. Then, ever so slowly, text appeared on the screen. It was written in Japanese. Laurel looked at it thoughtfully. Obviously, it was an easter egg that hadn't been translated. But... this was a remake of the game, made so it could be used on the Gamecube. Surely... surely it would have gotten translated. She looked at the text. She knew some Japanese. Some vocabulary, basic sentence structure, enough to get her by in a basic conversation of 'hi, how are you. You're an idiot.' Her character knowledge was not much better. She could identify around twenty, and guess at another ten. She ran to get her Japanese dictionary.  
"Laurel? What does that say?" Umi asked when she returned.  
"I don't know. Let me look up some words." Laurel replied, flipping the pages franticly. "You... uh... play... Ballad... of.... Hm, what's this word...Goddess!" She read the statement again. "You play Ballad of Goddess. Huh?" Then it came to her. "You played the Ballad of the Goddess!"  
"You played the Ballad of the Goddess? No you didn't! What's a Ballad?"  
"A Ballad is a type of song. Must be some secret song that the localization crew didn't know about. I wonder what it does." Laurel noticed that it was waiting for her to press A. She pressed the button. "I wonder what goddess."  
The screen glowed blue a bit, and then turned off. The Gamecube flickered and shut down, as well as the lights in the room and anything else that ran on electricity.  
"Hey! I was playing that!" Laurel complained. "Must be some power surge... maybe someone's hogging all the electricity. Jerk."  
The television turned on again, as well as the Gamecube.  
"Finally! Hope that jerk got what he deserved!"  
"Laurel? The lights aren't on. Just the television and the Gamecube." Umi pointed out.  
"What in the love of Nintendo is that?" Laurel gasped.  
The screen was glowing bright blue again. Not the blue that you get when the VCR isn't working, like the Blue Screen of Death. But a paler blue that seemed to emanate from the television like a small sun. Laurel squinted and shielded her eyes. She looked around to make sure none of the lamps had exploded.  
And promptly screamed.  
"Laurel?"  
"There's a burglar in our house!"

* * *

Author's Note: Short chapter, I know. I wanted to create suspense, and this was the only way for me to do it... sorry 'bout the cliffhanger!  
  
The Ballad of the Goddess:  
So, do you want to play The Ballad of the Goddess? It may not do anything (Who knows, maybe Laurel's copy was special. I suppose you'll find out later in the story. evil grin) but there's a special prize for anybody who I haven't already told who can figure out where it's from! Email me if you think you know.  
Legend:  
A=A button  
1= C down button  
2= C right button  
u=Push up on the control stick while pushing the indicated button  
d= Push down on the control stick while pushing the indicated button  
R= Push the indicated button, with any up or down on the control stick if indicated, as well as the R button.  
X= Note is too low for Ocarina. Oops. You can get a half step higher then this note by pressing AvR but I can't actually give you the note. It's a low A, so um… just hum it to yourself. Eh heh.  
  
Song:  
  
A Au 1 1u 2 1u 1 Au 1 1u 2 1u 1 1u 2 1u 1 Au 1 Au A Au Ad AAA A A Ad X A Au 1 Au 1 1u 1 1u 2 1u 1 A A Au 1 1u 2 2R A 1u 1 1u Au A A 1u Au A  
  
Enjoy!  
  



End file.
